11-18-2009, 01:09 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Before this thread degenerates any further and gets shut down, I will post the response I got from Reed Harris in reply to my question about enlisting the help of anglers in the carp removal process. I suggested that we have an ongoing "carpathon" where dedicated carp killers can take their kill to record the weights and dispose of the carcasses. I also suggested having carp fishing derbies for families to participate in catching and removing carp. Here is his reply:[/#0000ff]
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Pat...it does make sense and we always have people ask how they can help. Over the years we looked at having a local involvement committee that would help take aspects of our program such as the Hobble Creek restoration and explain it to local communities and thus give us more exposure while at the same time getting feedback from local users on what we were doing wrong and how we might work more closely with them to resolve problems...eventually this morphed into the Utah Lake Fishing Forum where we tried to target avid fisherman, many of whom we felt were simply opposed to what we were doing because we were just out to save the June sucker and that we would soon target all predators in Utah Lake. As you have seen our approach is very broad based, getting water back in the system, improving access, restoring tributary habitats, stocking hatchery fish, all based on the research we are conducting through DWR and local universities. Our last Utah Lake Fishing Forum meeting only had four or five fisherman so we have been having second thoughts about that as well. We have talked about getting a Friends of Utah Lake group started, but we felt it would be hard to start and keep going and we recognize the last thing we need is one more thing to do. Any Friends group would have to be independent and self-sustaining.
With regard to carp removal, we appreciate every effort to remove carp. But here again it becomes a matter of scale. We have not sponsored individual groups or efforts not because we didn't want them removing carp, but because of the effort required to get them established, monitor their performance and try and fund or sustain what they are doing. That's why we just go for the big hammer, commercial fisherman.
We do think that there will be opportunities to help in the future and in fact we have used dedicated hunters. For example, some dedicated hunters and Danny Potts' Salt Lake Fish and Game Association, help set up our Utah Lake Festival booths, helped teach and assisted people who wanted to fish at the festival, and some even helped print 1,000 T-shirts. Danny and his group also helped clean-up and improve our new Hobble Creek restoration area this Spring. Your email has reminded me of our need to improve this area of our program. Perhaps we, as a recovery program, need to sit down with you and look at how we can better utilize angler knowledge and talents in helping Utah Lake recovery. I will copy the biologists and outreach professionals working with us and see how we can restart our thinking on such an effort.
Reed Harris
[signature]
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Pat...it does make sense and we always have people ask how they can help. Over the years we looked at having a local involvement committee that would help take aspects of our program such as the Hobble Creek restoration and explain it to local communities and thus give us more exposure while at the same time getting feedback from local users on what we were doing wrong and how we might work more closely with them to resolve problems...eventually this morphed into the Utah Lake Fishing Forum where we tried to target avid fisherman, many of whom we felt were simply opposed to what we were doing because we were just out to save the June sucker and that we would soon target all predators in Utah Lake. As you have seen our approach is very broad based, getting water back in the system, improving access, restoring tributary habitats, stocking hatchery fish, all based on the research we are conducting through DWR and local universities. Our last Utah Lake Fishing Forum meeting only had four or five fisherman so we have been having second thoughts about that as well. We have talked about getting a Friends of Utah Lake group started, but we felt it would be hard to start and keep going and we recognize the last thing we need is one more thing to do. Any Friends group would have to be independent and self-sustaining.
With regard to carp removal, we appreciate every effort to remove carp. But here again it becomes a matter of scale. We have not sponsored individual groups or efforts not because we didn't want them removing carp, but because of the effort required to get them established, monitor their performance and try and fund or sustain what they are doing. That's why we just go for the big hammer, commercial fisherman.
We do think that there will be opportunities to help in the future and in fact we have used dedicated hunters. For example, some dedicated hunters and Danny Potts' Salt Lake Fish and Game Association, help set up our Utah Lake Festival booths, helped teach and assisted people who wanted to fish at the festival, and some even helped print 1,000 T-shirts. Danny and his group also helped clean-up and improve our new Hobble Creek restoration area this Spring. Your email has reminded me of our need to improve this area of our program. Perhaps we, as a recovery program, need to sit down with you and look at how we can better utilize angler knowledge and talents in helping Utah Lake recovery. I will copy the biologists and outreach professionals working with us and see how we can restart our thinking on such an effort.
Reed Harris
[signature]